What's new in tankless water heaters? In this video, Matt Risinger, master builder, and Lauren Hunter of Hanley Wood, discuss tankless water heater innovation at the International Builders Show. Risinger and Hunter begin the discussion at the Rinnai booth with Risinger's description of the RUR-98 Model, a super-efficient solution that now has a recirculation pump built right into the tankless unit. That's important from an efficiency standpoint since the unit heats the water, but the water must be delivered to the fixture, evacuating the cold water to do so. Now that the pump is built in, it's easy to connect to the Wi-Fi system, trip the pump and the cold water recirculates and not dumped down the drain. Instead it goes back into the cold side. This can be used on new construction or retrofits. The tank is 96% efficient compared to approximately 60% efficient for traditional units and it becomes a part of home automation. At the Noritz booth, there's an NRCP unit and the P stands for pump. It's a very similar pump system to Rinnai. There are a lot of benefits for the remodeler with the Noritz EZTR. There are different sizes to choose from, a small unit with 140,000 BTUs and two larger 180,000 BTUs and almost 200,000 BTUs. The fittings are on top, which makes it easy for the plumber. When they remove the old tank, the fittings are where the plumber needs them to be. Also venting can be done to the top and straight out of the old 4-inch B vent. they used to have. No need to get on the roof. This unit saves a lot of time for the installer. It can also be used with either propane or natural gas.Another unit, this one from Rheem connects with the nest system so leak detection is set up so that if it occurs, the homeowner gets an alert on their smartphone. The condensing unit is 96% efficient. It allows the PVC to go through the wall rather than on the roof. While it does not have the recirculation pump," but a pump can be mounted separately in the house. There are plenty of options with today's tankless hot water heaters and their longevity of 20 plus years compared to 10-12 years for a traditional tank is impressive.